The tulips in your garden bend and nod,
dropping cadmium and crimson on every breeze.
Having given their all to the world,
Opening wide
to reveal their prize,
and then,
leaving it to the iris and poppy
and even dandelions,
to carry on the mission of surprise and healing,
but mostly,
reminding us
that to live completely is to die completely.
Which means what, exactly?
Here, look,
our clothes on the line,
Hung big and little big and little, billowing slightly.
telling their story, our story,
paint splattered and stains at the knees.
I reach inside your still-damp sleeve and pull it through,
the other one as well,
finding pleasure in this signature of your impatience,
that you leave for me to find once again.
Listen,
the cardinal is proclaiming his love from high atop the spruce
as I pin your blouse to the line,
over and over, he sings,
‘Only Now!’,
‘Only Now!’,
‘Only Now!’
Absolutely !